October 18, 2004
Tennessee 21, Mississippi 17
The Ole Miss Rebels had some big fans Saturday night in Athens and Gainesville. With early season wins over the Bulldogs and Gators, the Tennessee Volunteers are firmly in control of their own destiny in the SEC Eastern Division Race.
The Vols tried to lose control of their destiny Saturday night in Oxford, opening the door of hope to the Bulldog and Gator faithful, before slamming it shut again for at least another week. After jumping out to an easy 14-point lead, the Vols suddenly found themselves in a dog-fight with Ole Miss. Nothing came easy for the Vols from the mid-point of the first quarter until late in the fourth.
Ole Miss hung around all night, clogging up the running lanes for Tennessee's running back and giving quarterback Eric Ainge fits. After missing several potential interceptions, Ole Miss's Bryan Brown finally came up with a pick from Ainge, that he returned 34 yards for a touchdown. The score gave Ole Miss their first lead of the game and could have moved momentum firmly over to Ole Miss.
But just as the Vols seemed to be going down for the count, Eric Ainge stepped in and led a game-winning drive. Ainge made three great pass plays in the Vol's final drive down the field, keeping it going and slowly draining away Ole Miss's momentum. Ainge capped it off with a 30-yard touchdown strike to Bret Smith for the go-ahead score and the Vols escaped Oxford with a 21-17 win.
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